Tag Archives: mugisha

The letter uses the My Family template. He has 3 older sisters and lists the names of them. His family’s faith background is Anglican. His favorite thing to do with his family is collecting firewood, and his favorite way to help is fetching water. His food is prepared by his older sister. They live in the rural area of Gishegera, Uganda. The letter says: “Isaac says Christmas was very good. He enjoyed it with his family members and they ate good food. He went on to say that there are no special Christmas traditions. He went on to say that his New Year’s Resolution is to study hard and perform well in school. His prayer requests are good health for him and his family members.”

It looks like his mom uses a cane based on the drawing. I hope she is doing okay. Reading the letter and hearing about what he likes to do with his family, it’s hard not to notice the contrast of 6 year olds here in the US. I like his resolution!

Mugisha just had a photo update last week, and he looks so much older! I asked him shortly after I started writing to him which name he wanted me to call him, because both names can be used in Uganda. He answered that he’d like to be called Mugisha, as it means “blessings”. His letters often use the name Isaac, although he is not yet writing them himself. So on the blog I often use the names interchangeably, as I do when I refer to him in my head 😉

Isaac is 6 and lives in Uganda. Isn’t he getting big? He must have an affinity for stripes! And Isaac’s updated profile now lists his school performance as below average. I’m going to pray extra hard for his studies. I know from my students that it can be much more easily turned around the younger the kids are.

The letter uses the What I Like Best Template. I always love how the Ugandan letters have fun facts about the country on the side. Did you know Uganda is home to more than 50% of the world’s mountain gorillas?? What Isaac likes to do best with his family is bouncing a ball. What he likes to do best with his friends and playing soccer. What he likes best about his project is meal time, and his favorite teacher is Teacher Agatha because she takes us to class and teaches us. His favorite place to visit is his aunt’s place. The letter says “Alisa receive Christian greetings from Isaac and the family. He is happy for this God given opportunity to communicate to you as they prepare to end the year. He goes on to say is now in a holiday and that the family is busy preparing for Christmas and new year 2018. He asks how do you prepare Christmas there? He says thank you for the story you sent him of the starfish and for praying for him. He and the family are also praying for you and wishing blessing as we reach Christmas and new year 2018.”

I always love receiving letters from Mugisha, my boy with the barely there smile.

Mugisha Isaac is 6 and lives in Uganda.

The letter uses the My Typical Week template, which I enjoyed. He typically gets up at 7:00am and in the morning he bathes, smears himself, and gets dressed. He goes to school on weekdays and in the evening he washes utensils. His favorite day of the week is Monday because it is the start of the week at school. “Receive warm christian greetings from Isaac. He thanks you so much for the letters you always send him. Isaac went on to thank you for praying for him and said that he and his family members always pray for you. He went on to say his friends and family members send you greetings. Isaac concluded by saying you continue to pray for him so that he continues to perform well at school and also to have good health.”

The letter is very sweet, and I always love hearing when they are written in the kids’ words when a tutor is helping to write. I just love the drawing! And I’m glad that he loves school so much.

I am sharing the Country Director letter from Uganda this week. I correspond with Mugisha there.

“Dear Alisa, I am Lenny Mugisha; I have been the country director of Compassion Uganda for two years, and I have worked with Compassion International for seven years. Compassion has operated in Uganda for the past 36 years. We currently have more than 340 child development centers serving 93,500 children in the most impoverished areas within our reach across the country.

Thank you for loving, praying and caring for Mugisha Isaac. We appreciate your continued support.

These have been years of great achievement in the lives of children. Children have accepted Jesus as their Savior, acquired income-generating and life skills, studied, and graduated. They receive health care, education opportunities, and a safe environment to play in and relate to their peers.

Many children and families here lack food and clean water, decent shelter, clothing and health care. They face obstacles like child marriage, child trafficking, physical abuse, violence, HIV/AIDS, and more. In 2017, our plan is to work closely with church partners to register more children from highly impoverished areas in unreached communities, minister to them early enough, and help them finish well to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.

One child suffered from malaria from the age of 3. Each time he fell sick, his grandmother carried him to a local government hospital. Sometimes there wasn’t even a doctor or nurse available to see the child. Often he was discharged with nothing but a prescription for the grandmother to buy medicine – but she couldn’t afford it. The malaria attacks intensified, and the boy contracted epilepsy. His grandmother stopped him from going to school because she feared what would happen. Her grandson lost weight and became weak.

Four months after registering with Compassion, the boy lost consciousness because of malaria. His grandmother rushed him to a different hospital, where the sponsorship program enabled him to go. The child received treatment, since the drugs were available, and he recovered faster than usual. In addition to medical intervention, he received food support that helped restore his health. This child could have been dead by now, but he isn’t. Instead, he plays and dreams and attends school without fear. Because of the Compassion center, his life was saved.

In addition to implementing Compassion’s programs, church partners respond to their communities’ needs through evangelism, discipleship, savings programs, vocational training, special events, and ministry to those in need. Other churches also mobilize community-development programs, such as building water sources and roads and health and parenting education. The church usually spearheads such ventures due to its good reputation in the community.

Children who receive letters from their sponsors know they have a friend who loves them and cares about them. They look forward to writing to their sponsors. Children who do not receive letters feel that their sponsors do not love them, and they go back home sad. Children value and believe each message their sponsor writes to them, and their attitude toward life is positively influenced by what their sponsors say. They feel valued, especially when their sponsor wishes them a happy birthday. They are encouraged to work hard at school. They look at their sponsors as role models. Please write to your child as often as you can.

Please pray for the children in the program in Uganda who have not yet got sponsors, and for each child in the program to be released from all forms of poverty. We love you and pray for you always.

Once again, thank you so much for investing in the life of Mugisha. May the Lord bless you abundantly.

The letter used the How I Have Fun template. His favorite activity is playing, and he loves to play football (soccer). He usually plays with his friends and siblings. The letter says “Calvary greetings from Isaac. He thanks you for continuously praying for him and says he enjoyed the story in the letter. He also says he will also try to make a difference even now as he grows up and later on as an adult. He continued to thank you for supporting him. He concluded by saying you pray for him to keep with good health and also continue to perform well in class.”

Earlier in the summer, I received a letter from the pastor of Mugisha’s center. I know that he lives in an area that is very much in need, so it was great to learn more about what the center is doing to help this community!

Mugisha attends UG709

“Dear Alisa, I am Herbert Mujabwami, pastor of St. Andrew’s Cathedral Seseme in Muhabura Diocese, southwestern Uganda. We minister to Mugisha Isaac at the Seseme Child Development Center.

We are very grateful to you for the support that you continuously give to Mugisha. May our good Lord keep blessing you.

Our community has fertile soils but is densely populated, thus we have limited land for cultivation. It also has many cases of alcoholism and sexual immorality, which causes a high rate of HIV/AIDS infections. The church has a big responsibility of ministering to this community so that its members will receive Jesus as their personal savior.

The biggest challenge is that the children find it hard to get money for school, food, and sometimes even shelter. Being in town, many men go early in the morning to look for work and return late in the evening, so it is difficult to get them involved in our ministry.

The vision for the church and center is to equip all the people to extend the love of God to others and transform the community.

The center has demonstrated practical love to the children. We have supported children by providing medical treatment, hygiene training, education, social training, economic skills development, and spiritual discipleship. many children now have the skills to earn a living in the future. Others serve in the church in many ways, such as preaching the word of God. We have a formerly sponsored child who completed studies and is now working at one of our development centers and another one who is now working at the bank. We have several children who have graduated and attending colleges to study agriculture and nursing.

The church ministers to the community by reaching out to the elderly, helping in solving family conflicts, and giving pre-marital counseling. The church also teaches the youth and adults about self-reliance and good health practices. God is doing a lot of transformation in our community through this ministry.

Approximately 85% of our sponsored children’s families attend our church, 10% attend other churches, and about 5% are still struggling with faith and do not attend any church yet.

The relationship between children and sponsors is very important. The children, especially those who are orphans, feel the love of a parent when they receive a letter from their sponsors. They feel they have someone who cares for them and supports them. Thus, they have no fear about the future. Unfortunately, some children do not receive letters and they feel discouraged. So, we encourage all sponsors to please write to these little ones, as every word of love brings them great excitement.

We request that you pray for the children in the program and that all sponsors will keep supporting them. Pray also that parents will practice what they are taught, especially in doing work to complement the support Compassion is giving. Pray for our staff at all levels to remain committed to the program and that everyone in our community will maintain good health.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to share with you through this letter. We thank you again for your generous support of Mugisha and for helping our ministry flourish. May the Lord bless you, keep you, and shine upon you.

I got a second letter from Mugisha Isaac, my correspondent in Uganda, and it’s a great one!

Mugisha Isaac is 5 and lives in Uganda.

The letter uses the template “My Hopes and Dreams for the Future”. In the future, he hopes to learn about different characters in the Bible. He wants to learn how to farm and drive. When Mugisha Isaac grows up he wants to be a teacher (always excited to hear that!) He hopes to visit Kampala, the capital city of Uganda, and he does want to go to the university when he grows up. The letter says: “Dear Alisa, Isaac and his family greet you in Jesus’ name. He says he loves and likes the letters you send him and would love to let you know that he is enjoying school and the time at the community center. His family appreciates the dedicated support you have offered and pledge to pray for you always. They end by wishing you God’s blessings.”

I have to say, I really enjoyed this template. I also liked the facts about Ugandan agriculture that it had printed on the letter. The facts include: Maize is the most common staple food in Uganda. Banana (matooke): Uganda produces the 3rd largest amount of bananas worldwide. Coffee is one of Uganda’s main exports. Most children in Uganda like eating jack fruit. Pineapple is one of the most common fruits in Uganda.

The picture prompt is a great idea, too. Gotta love how hard he clearly worked on this drawing, erasing and redrawing parts.

The more I hear from this boy with the shy smile and his family, the more my heart grows for them.